EBC Chola Pass Trekking

Upon our arrival at Kathmandu airport, our airport representative will greet us and drive to the designated hotel. This is approximately 30 minutes drive exploring the beautiful Kathmandu valley. In the evening, we will have a tour briefing that will give us a detailed understanding of the tour. We will pack and prepare everything for the early morning flight on the next day.

We will drive to the airport and board our flight to Lukla Airport. This is an approximately 25 minutes flight to one of the most adventurous airports in the world. It is a scenic flight with several possible turbulence. Upon landing in Lukla, we will walk to the lodge, do last-minute packing, and start our walk to Phakding. We will also meet our porter who will be our main pillar for the next two weeks.

The walk from Lukla to Phakding is a mix of ups and downs. It is a beautiful countryside walk exploring local villages and meeting local people. It's a comfortable walk today.

Namche Bazaar is the most famous village in the whole region. The walk is gorgeous where we will have scenic mountain views, pass thundering rivers, cross several suspension bridges, and also witness a distant view of mount Everest. The first part of the journey is until Jorsalle where we will stop for our lunch. We will then walk for about 40 minutes where we will be crossing Hilary Bridge over the Dudh Koshi River then start steep uphill walking to Top Danda. Top Danda offers the first view of mount Everest on a clear day. We will walk approximately 40 minutes to reach Namche Bazaar.

We have a lazy day exploring Namche Bazaar and visiting Everest View Hotel. We will take a late breakfast and then walk to Everest View Hotel. Upon climbing for about 30 minutes, we will reach the Everest National Park headquarters where we will enjoy breathtaking Himalayan views of several snowy peaks. We will continue for about 2 hours to reach Everest View Hotel which is also known as the world's highest Hotel. This hotel offers astonishing views of the 360-degree panorama. We can walk to the twin villages of Khumjung and Khunde if time permits or return back to Namche Bazaar and rest.

We will enjoy a warm breakfast at the lodge in front of the white Himalayan peaks then start our walk to Dole. We will walk uphill until the national park headquarter (Sagarmatha National Park) then walk an almost flat trail to Kyanjuma. The trail to Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp separates from here. We will continue inclining to Mong Danda. Here we will start descending to Phortse Thanga (3680M) then stop for the lunch on the bank of the River. Then we will walk uphill exploring the beautiful forests of Pine and Rhododendrons for a few hours to reach Dole.

We are already above the tree lines and vegetation. This day is pretty relaxed in terms of difficulties. We will witness beautiful Himalayan views of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and Kangtega. The walk is straightforward, and we will make it to Machhermo by lunchtime. Upon reaching Machhermo, we will have some time to hike above the valley for acclimatization purposes.

One of the important days of our hike is here. We will be reaching Gokyo valley today. We will be already above 4000 meters so a slow and steady walk is recommended to avoid altitude sickness. Gokyo offers stunning views of Himalayan peaks, and several high-altitude glacial lakes and you will often see Tibetan Snowcock (a Himalayan bird). Gokyo Lakes is the gem of Khumbu valley. Upon reaching the valley, we will have a free afternoon to explore.

We will make an early morning hike to Gokyo Ri which offers fantastic views of the Himalayas including Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Tabuche, Cholatse, Amadablam, Thamserku, Kangtega, Kusum Kangaru, etc. Gokyo Ri is an excellent viewpoint and it's recommended not to miss it. The views from the summit of the Gokyo Ri are unforgettable.

Upon returning back to Gokyo, you can spend a free afternoon or make a long day hike to the 4th and 5th lakes which are situated above the valley close to Cho Oyu Base Camp.

We have a short and easy walk over the Ngozumpa Glaciers today. We will be walking over the glacier almost throughout the journey. Thaknak is the last village before heading to Cho La Pass and Everest Base Camp. This small village consists of a few lodges for the services of trekkers heading to Chola Pass and heading to Gokyo Lakes.

We will make an early morning climb to the top of the Cho La Pass before the sun shines. This will take about 3 hours to reach the summit. The summit of Cho La pass is decorated with lots of prayer flags and it is situated next to a frozen lake. The summit offers excellent views of the Himalayas. Once we cross the pass, we will descend to Dzongla which takes about 4 hours. There are no places to eat and sleep between Thaknak and Dzongla.

We have a short and easy day here and we are also getting close to Everest Base Camp. This is an easy day and we will be walking through a flat trail throughout the day. We will make it to Lobuche and eat our lunch. Time permitting, we can also make a short walk above the ridge for acclimatization purposes.

Here we come to one of the biggest days of the program; the memorable visit to Everest Base Camp. It is a flat trail until we cross the Lobuche Pass and descend to Gorakshep where we will sleep overnight. In Gorakshep, we will eat our lunch and leave all the unnecessary items at the lodge. We will then start our hike to Everest Base Camp over the Khumbu glacier.

Everest Base Camp is the most famous spot in the whole Khumbu valley. This place offers excellent views of several Himalayan peaks but unfortunately mount Everest. Enjoy taking great photos for memories. We will return back to Gorakshep for the overnight.

Here comes another magnificent day of the trek. We will have to Kalapatthar early in the morning for excellent views of Everest and several other Himalayan peaks such as Nuptse, Lhotse, Pumori, Lingtren, etc. We will then return to Gorakshep and take our breakfast before we continue the trek to Pangboche. This is a beautiful walk over Khumbu glacier until we reach Scott Fischer Memorial at Thukla Pass. We will make a steep descent to Pheriche and continue a gentle downhill walk to Somare and finally reach Pangboche. Pangboche offers marvelous views of Amadablam; known as one of the most beautiful snowy mountains in the world.

We will begin the trek with a descent to Imja Khola (stream). Once we cross the stream, we will continue walking the nearly flat trail to Dibuche then make a small ascend to Tengboche Monastery. Tengboche monastery is one of the main attractions of the whole Gokyo, Chola Pass, and Everest Base Camp Trek. This hundred of years old monastery is home to many monks. Soon, we will make a steep descent to Phungi Tenga where we may stop for our lunch. On we cross the river here, we have to climb steep uphill to Kyanjuma and another nearly flat trail for 1.5 hours will take us to Namche Bazaar.

This is a long day with lots of downhill walking. Our walk starts with a steep downhill walk until we cross Hilary Bridge over the Dudhkoshi River. Then we will continue to Jorsalle, Monjo, Toktok, Benker, Phakding, Ghat, and Chheplung along the trail. The trekking route today is one of the most difficult days on the whole Everest Chola Pass Trekking. Once we reach Lukla, we will thank our porters, tip them and prepare for the flight tomorrow. Here we will conclude our two-week-long adventurous trek.

Our Everest Base Camp, Chola Pass, and Gokyo Lakes Trek end here. Time permitting, we will enjoy our last breakfast in the Himalayas and take a flight to Kathmandu. It's an adventurous 25 minutes flight to Kathmandu. Upon landing in Kathmandu, we will drive to the hotel. We have a free afternoon, and in the evening we will join a beautiful cultural dinner organized by Himalayan Leisure.

This is the last day in Kathmandu. We have time for shopping and we will explore local markets. Enjoy buying souvenirs for friends and families and doing final packing for the departure. Time permitting, we can also visit some of the world heritage sites of Kathmandu. We have free evenings to explore on our own.

We end our 18 days of Everest trekking here. We will be taken to the airport approximately 3 hours before the flight. Here we conclude our Everest Base Camp, Chola Pass, and Gokyo Trek. It's goodbye until we see you again!